Everything changes and the pace of that change can be dizzying. Change for its own sake, however, isn’t always advisable. It needs to be carefully considered.

A recurring trend in my discussions with consumer electronics dealers is their efforts in exploring avenues by which they can both differentiate themselves and seek new margin-building categories.

Over the course of the past decade, a sizable percentage of the dealers I known in several different channels have changed, adapted and evolved their business models and assortment of products and services. Sometimes those changes have been extremely successful and sometimes they’ve been less so.

Over a long timeframe, established CE and AV companies can evolve so much that their present incarnation is unrecognizable from what the first went into business for. In one dramatic example, I used to work for a residential AV integrator that first began as a hi-fi and TV shop. They evolved over time, in equal parts by design and happy accident into specializing in selling, installing and servicing C-Band satellite dish systems (remember those?), eventually growing a division that installed digital satellite, and over time grew into residential AV and control systems, of increasing size, complexity and price tags.

It’s been even more dramatic in CE. The past decade has taken an enormous toll on the roster of independent CE dealers. There are far fewer still in business than there were ten years. Of the ones that remain, their survival has depended upon differentiating themselves, often by offering services that are superior to what the big box retailers can do.

In recent years, I’ve been spending far more time in the telecom and mobility channels, in which I’ve observed that change is arguably even more frenetic and relentless than in AV. In Western Canada, a large number of the incumbent mobility dealers share a similar origin. Most were founded by long time employees of AGT, Alberta Government Telephones, as well as municipal carriers like EdTel who took early retirement buyout packages when the government corporations were privatized in the early 1990s.

They invested their buyout money in opening cellphone retailers just the mobile boom began.

As with anything, some prospered and grew, and some didn’t. Speaking very broadly, the mobile dealers who did grow remained flexible and adapted to the marketplace as it changed, adding new products and services as they emerged and dropping old ones as their profitability waned.

That’s not the only genesis of mobility dealers. One long-time dealer of mine began his business repairing cellphones. The obvious add-on to that business was to start selling accessories: cases, chargers, cables, screen protectors, etc.

While the competition in the mobile accessory space is much more fierce than outsiders might realize, it’s good great margins, and the repair business remains strong: So long as phones remain both indispensable and breakable, end users are going to need repair services.

Still, the dealer principal is looking towards the future, and at other revenue opportunities, and has begun exploring partnering with a mobile carrier to open a cellphone store.

Not every dealer I know in the various channels has evolved their business over time. I can think of quite a few off the top of my head who haven’t changed. Some of them are even still in business.

Change can be risky, but I’d suggest that not changing is even more risky.

To support higher video resolution and refresh rates and real-time, interactive technology such as virtual reality, the HDMI Forum continues to update HDMI specifications.

First announced in late 2017, the newest HDMI standard for video cables and connections – HDMI 2.1 – is faster than its predecessors, and ready to support dynamic high dynamic range video (enhancing a video’s depth, detail, brightness, contrast and color). An HDMI 2.1 connection can handle 4K video at up to 120 fps (frames per second), which helps create a more realistic-looking image.

Nearly tripling the bandwidth of HDMI 2.0, which was released in 2013, HDMI 2.1 transmits video and audio signals between devices at a maximum transmission speed of 48Gbps (as compared to 18Gbps with HDMI 2.0). New video outputs for HDMI 2.1 will include 4K video at 120 Hz and 8K video at 60 Hz.

Based on bandwidth capabilities, HDMI 2.1 can technically carry up to 10K resolution from a source to a screen, but 10K hasn’t yet been defined beyond approximately 10,000 horizontal pixels, and isn’t a standard format yet.

Smooth, seamless motion and transitions will be possible through the enhanced refresh-rate features of HDMI 2.1, such as:

Variable refresh rate (VRR) to reduce lag, stutter and frame tearing

Quick media switching (QMS) to eliminate a delay that results in a blank screen before displaying content

Quick frame transport (QFT) to decrease latency for smoothness and no lag

Unlike previous HDMI standards, HDMI 2.1 will require new HDMI cables (Ultra High Speed HDMI Cables) to take advantage of the higher resolutions and frame rates. Connectors will stay the same.

The cables will be backward compatible, and able to function with HDMI gear that operates according to previous standards. But it will take time for HDMI 2.1 to become mainstream – it was created for formats and resolutions (such as 120 fps content for 4K TVs or 60 fps content for 8K TVs) that won’t be widespread for years.

What Each HDMI Standard is Known For

To see how far HDMI has come since its inception in 2002, we compiled a brief list of the most prominent HDMI standards and what they introduced to the industry:

HDMI 1.0: First version of HDMI with a maximum bandwidth of 4.95Gbps

HDMI 1.1: Added support for DVD audio

HDMI 1.2: Added support for one-bit audio format

HDMI 1.3: Maximum bandwidth of 10.2Gbps to support high-definition displays

HDMI 1.4: 4K resolution at up to 30 fps with a maximum bandwidth of 10.2Gbps

HDMI 2.0: Enabled momentum of 4K video with resolution of up to 60 fps and a maximum bandwidth of 18Gbps

Although you don’t need to rush out and invest in new HDMI cables just yet, it’s important to track what’s changing in the world of HDMI standards so you know what to expect in the future.

If you have any questions about HDMI 2.1, or how it may impact you, contact Belden. We’re happy to answer your questions or help find solutions to support the technology you use.

Voice control has become a new standard for our daily lives. We see it in media consoles, smart devices, automobiles, office environments and more. Some manufacturers partner on one platform while others embrace a larger audience on a completely different one. Most provide a similar concept of assistance, but others excel in the experience — and isn’t that what it’s all about at the end of the day, the experience?

Initially I thought that voice control would be another trend that would fade away. The horizon of future tech that will emerge in its place, but it’s growing at a rapid pace and we’ve adopted it into our lives. Sure, there’s concerns about privacy and security, but isn’t that to be expected with all the major hacks of data breach and sales of info; it’s the world we now live in so be prepared for things to happen, as they can and will. Voice control another dream from the creators of sci-fi, brought to reality. We’ve witness voice control on shows like Star Trek, the Jetsons, and much more. From these shows, we’ve taken note, and created the future and implemented it across the nations.

Between, Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana and various of digital assistants like Josh.ai for example in the professional grade smart homes arena, there’s something for everyone’s needs; Let’s discuss:

Alexa: Amazon stole our hearts with Alexa, its digital assistant. She smart, fast, has a personality of her own and plays well with others. She’s fully capable of controlling smaller IOT devices, but can only handle one account right now at a time. That being said, she’s extremely popular and often the assistant of choice in most applications. She’s so popular that many manufacturers have embedded her and specifically chosen her as the digital assistant of choice to be baked into their smart devices, like the Sonos One or the Ecobee Switch+. There are now amplifiers made to power and distribute Echo dots across a home and have them within a in-ceiling speaker shaped housing; the custom AV market loves Alexa.

Siri: Apple’s virtual assistant isn’t great by comparison, but can control your digital life from an iOS device, some newer Mac platforms and the company’s new HomePod. She is getting better, but again, only can handle one account at a time. Apple also has HomeKit, but it was so poorly under-developed that many manufacturers had already made their choice for Alexa of the Works with Nest program, by Google.

Google Assistant: Google’s digital assistant is rapidly expanding across platforms, works really well with others and can handle multiple user accounts. It obviously work with Nest products, there’s many things it can do, it has a laundry list of partners who use this platform as control for their products, and to take things to the next level, it can integrate with IFTTT.

Cortana: Microsoft’s assistant, formerly exclusive to XBOX and using a different trigger phrase, has gotten worse and less responsive in my opinion. She’s aimed at the Microsoft suite teams of people who have a Microsoft-branded smartphone or computer. She really is meant for Microsoft apps and integrations, which is great…. but very limited in the grand scheme of control. Will Cortana branch out to more than its home turf? Time will tell — but will you wait to find out, or will you already be deeply impeded into the competition?

Josh.ai: Josh provides luxury voice control for the most advanced homes in the world. Josh used to rely heavily and solely on other microphones; the company still utilizes them today, just now it has its own microphones, like Josh Micro. For more details about this voice control startup for the Custom integration market, listen to my interview with Alex Capecelatro, CEO of Josh,ai, here on AV Insider.

Each digital assistant can add a ton of value to our daily lives when used correctly, and each is slightly different. Each can control your stuff on some level, while others deeply embed further into your lives at home and at work. Some play better with others, and some have yet to fully develop enough to be substantial as a choice of primary control within their environments. There’s also other digital assistants on the market, but they not as advanced as the aforementioned ones.

How do you choose which is best for you, and how will they be implemented in your spaces in which they’ll be used? It’s best to read up on each option before making a decision on how best to proceed. This category is evolving daily, and usually for the better. Although, not everything needs to be controlled by way of voice commands. Take something simple, like the process of turning on your TV, a media service, some and playing all back with speakers at an appropriate level of audio. Now imagine trying to tell Siri, Cortana, Alexa or Google to do this. Not so simple anymore, is it? Josh.ai excels in multi-taking voice commands, while its peers do not.

Voice control has a long way to go, and it’s still in early phases of design and implementation, but it’s developing rather nicely. So since there’s so much more to discover and learn about voice control, I’ll leave you with some thoughts and questions:

Voice control is here, but Is it a viable solution for your needs?

Which one will best services your lifestyle? Is there one better for you at work and at home?

Is it convenient enough for you to use it, or will it just be another technology fad?

Who will be the victor and is it worth your time to invest into the competition now, knowing we are still in early development of what is and isn’t possible?

These are all questions I intend to answer here at rAVe Publications, so if you have questions, we’ve got the answers. You can send any tech related questions, and or stories to me here, and I’ll answer them in the form of a blog, or maybe I’ll do it my podcast, AV insider.

The exclusive Pinnacle distinction signifies that a dealer has developed an immensely successful and long-term partnership with Control4, leading them to purchase one million dollars, or the equivalent in their respective currencies, worth of Control4, Pakedge, and Triad products throughout the lifetime of their dealership. Today there are more than 200 Pinnacle status dealers. Pinnacle dealers are especially committed to best-in-class connected home solutions and generally have a reputation for providing stellar customer satisfaction, year after year.

“These dealers represent the best of the best when it comes to Control4 smart home solutions,” said Bryce Judd, senior vice president of worldwide sales for Control4. “Pinnacle status distinguishes these dealers as integrators who are deeply committed, experienced, and consistent in delivering superior connected homes.”

Expanding beyond its video capture and playout cards, Magewell will show company’s first standalone, hardware-based streaming encoder at the 2018 NAB Show next month. Dubbed the Ultra Stream HDMI, it’s capable of recording or streaming video and audio from a variety of sources with one-click using on-device buttons or a smartphone app. Designed for users who want to stream but may have very little technical knowledge, the encoder is aimed at church volunteers, teachers and gamers to corporate marketers and live event organizers.

The initial configuration is performed over network or Bluetooth connectivity with the free iOS or Android app. Once encoding and destination parameters have been set (e.g., entering Facebook or YouTube keys), recording and live streaming can be started and stopped directly with physical buttons on the Ultra Stream unit or via virtual buttons in the app. It can natively stream to Twitch, YouTube and Facebook Live or to a custom-specified RTMP server. Streams can be output to multiple target services simultaneously, while real-time video preview in the smartphone app allows for monitoring.

The first of multiple planned models in the Ultra Stream family, the Ultra Stream HDMI captures, encodes and streams video up to 1080p60 via an HDMI input interface from sources such as video cameras, players and game consoles. The encoder also supports 4K HDMI inputs at 60fps with 4:2:0 color subsampling, down-converting them automatically to HD (H.264) for recording and streaming. Embedded HDMI audio is done by an analog microphone input and a headphone output for monitoring. HDMI loop-through connectivity enables source signals to be simultaneously sent to a monitor or projector without the need for an HDMI splitter.

In addition to outputting live streams, the Ultra Stream HDMI can record video as MP4 files to a directly-connected USB drive or the associated smartphone. Footage can also be recorded in a loop on embedded storage within the unit for subsequent previewing and downloading. The device supports H.264 video compression and AAC audio, with HEVC encoding and recording planned for a future update. Two distinct combinations of resolution, frame rate and bitrate can be specified, enabling simultaneous recording and streaming with different parameters. Still frames can also be captured with the app.

The compact Ultra Stream HDMI measures just 3.7 inches (94.2 mm) square with a height of 1.1 inches (28.5 mm). The flexible unit offers both wireless and wired network connectivity, with built-in Wi-Fi as well as an RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port. Here are the specs.

Gefen is now shipping six new models from their Gen 2.0 AV-over-IP product line including the DVI KVM, VGA KVM and audio-only input and output formats. The Gen 2.0 KVM line claims 4K Ultra HD with HDR support, built-in scalers, video-wall control, independent USB, RS232, IR, audio routing and backward-compatibility with first-generation products.

The new Gefen AV-over-IP line-up includes a new KM Emulation feature which facilitates real-time, simultaneous keyboard and mouse control of each source from all connected workstations, eliminating the inherent limitations of earlier systems. HDMI and DisplayPort products feature maximum input resolution of 4K 60 Hz 4:2:0, and maximum output resolution of 4K 30 Hz 4:4:4. HDCP 2.2 and 1.4 are also supported. The DVI and VGA models support VESA and CEA resolutions up to WUXGA (1920×1200 at 60 Hz) and 1080p Full HD (1920×1080 at 60 Hz).

The Sender units (except DisplayPort) feature a video output for local monitoring of the source. USB, RS232 two-way IR and audio can be routed independently between any sender and receiver unit, allowing end users to control any of the sources and the displays within their network.

The new digital and analog audio over IP units allow integrators to add audio-only nodes to an installation. Each receiver can play back audio from any of the Gefen AV-over-IP sender units, including audio de-embedded from HDMI inputs. These senders and receivers can be used for multi-room music, conferencing, public announcement and live venue audio projects.

All KVM and AV Receivers feature a built-in scaler as well as a video wall controller that accommodates any screen configuration up to 16×16 in sizing and manipulating live and signage content. Digital and analog audio break-out on HDMI, DVI and DisplayPort receivers allow audio that is embedded into the video to be sent to a separate audio system, enhancing the impact of presentations in large venues. HDMI models pass 7.1 channels of HBR (High Bit Rate) and LPCM digital audio from source to display.

The Receivers’ integrated USB hub with two USB 2.0 and two USB 1.1 ports accommodate touch panels, keyboard and mouse, and a variety of supported devices.

A built in two-port Gigabit switch on each receiver allows the daisy-chaining of additional receivers or other IP-enabled devices. In applications such as digital signage, where content is often replicated on multiple displays throughout the installation, the ability to cascade the receivers removes the requirement for each cable to be run directly to the main network switch.

Global Caché and Chaos Entertainment Communication announced today they have formed an alliance to ensure their combined products provide built-in integration. The combination of IRControl software and Global Caché hardware delivers a simple and easy to deploy, configure and use solution.

Global Caché’s products connect any IR, serial and contact closure device to a Wi-Fi and/or IP network so it can be controlled, automated, and maintained by network-based software. The company offers other connectivity products and capabilities, including HDMI switching, a Raspberry Pi module, sensor input, IR learning, HTTP communication and the Control Tower IR database, available in the cloud.

Chaos Entertainment Communication, developers of IRControl, delivers a control system for consumer electronics and home automation. IRControl features no restrictions on the design of the device control user interface, going far beyond the usual adjustment options available in other products. The layout, graphics, buttons and workflow of the pages are designed in the integrated graphics editor, making it possible to create a customized control system tailored to the user’s unique requirements. For users who are not familiar with graphic design, predefined layout templates are available. IRControl runs on Android and integration with Global Caché hardware today.

RTI, known as a control company, today announced a line of video matrix switches, extenders, presentation scalers and audio mixer amplifiers. The video distribution offering all uses HDMI and HDBaseT technology and is capable of distributing 4K video (4:2:0). The VHD-4 and VHD-8 HDBaseT video matrix switchers extend video, IR and RS232 signals up to 230 feet over a single Cat 5e/6 cable. Also new to the lineup are the VHX-4 and VHX-8 HDMI matrix switchers for HDMI 2.0.

The new VFX-124 and VFX-248 matrix switchers are 12 and 24 I/Os that are all configurable as inputs or outputs depending on the application. To handle different signal types, a variety of input and output cards is available for HDMI, HDBaseT, VGA, audio and more. And the VSS-51 is a Presentation Scaler Switcher Kit that combines seamless switching with scaling.

Tributaries just announced that the UHDT TITAN Passive 10-meter (32-foot, 10-inch) HDMI cable has been certified by both DPL Labs and ISF for 18Gbps performance.

Why is passive such a big deal? Passive HDMI cables are always preferred over active. In addition to incompatibility issues with other electronics, active cables are directional and will not work if reversed. The active end of the cable must be connected to the display and requires power to supply the on-board electronics; typically, these cables harvest their power from unused TMDS voltages. This method works well as long as the source which drives the 5V line has an adequate output. If the source voltage is too low it will draw down the vital 5-volt line. Passive cables are bi-directional and voltage agnostic, making any long run installation simpler and more stable.

Tributaries claims that the development of the TITAN-10 passive HDMI cable is the result of a new copper formulation that eliminates the “Skin Effect.” TITAN’s high-conductivity copper results in lower losses than with standard oxygen-free copper. This design has provided a method of extending the length of an 18G Passive HDMI cable from a a length of 5 meters to 10 meters.

Covid has announced the addition of two new HDMI cables to its extensive cable line: a locking HDMI cable and a right-angle HDMI cable. The locking HDMI 2.0 cable, (HDLK) features the Ultra Lock System, making it one of the most secure and reliable high retention HDMI cables on the market. The simple locking device is locked into place by easily pushing up on the switch located on the connector head. These locking HDMI cables support resolutions up to 4K@60Hz (4K-18G), are triple shielded and are offered in several lengths up to 10 feet.

Covid’s right-angle HDMI cable, (HD-RA) is an option when space is limited for the HDMI connection. They also offer the benefit of being a more cost effective solution when compared to purchasing both cable and angle adapter separately. These cables are built using high grade materials including copper foil shielding, and to help with flexibility are offered in 30 AWG gauge size. The Right-Angle HDMI cables support resolutions up to 2160p@60Hz (4K-10G), and can be purchased in a variety of lengths up to 10 feet.

For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe HomeAV Edition out there, hopefully you enjoyed another opinion-packed issue!

For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read how we are — we are 100% opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the high-end HomeAV industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that’s why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).

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To send me feedback, don’t reply to this newsletter – instead, write directly to me at gary@ravepubs.com or for editorial ideas: Editor-in-Chief Sara Abrons at sara@ravepubs.com

A little about me: I graduated from Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where I am adjunct faculty). I’ve been in the AV-industry since 1987 where I started with Extron and eventually moved to AMX. So, I guess I am an industry veteran (although I don’t think I am that old). I have been an opinionated columnist for a number of industry publications and in the late 1990s I started the widely read KNews eNewsletter (the first in the AV market) and also created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue – which is now known as InfoComm IQ. rAVe Publications has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition.